Effie Woods (Emmerdale's Priya Sharma) Interview

Effie Woods (Hollyoaks In The City) arrives in Emmerdale at 7pm on Friday 11th September 2009 on ITV1 as Priya Sharma.

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What can you tell us about your character Priya?

Priya is young and fun and single, she’s a bit of a party girl but she does have a soft side to her. She’s flirtatious, she has a bit of trouble with authority and she’s a real free spirit. Prior to arriving in the village, she went to fashion college but ended up dropping out, then she tried to set up her own business which could have done well, but she was bad at managing her money and spent it all. She ended up broke and had to get her family to bail her out. Now she’s living with her brothers and working at the factory, she knows it’s an easy ride with them. She is a tough cookie but she’s quite ashamed of the fact that her business failed and she’s decided she doesn’t want any responsibility, she wants a simple job and to be told what to do and not to have any decisions on her shoulders.

What appealed to you about the character and about joining the show?

I love television and especially soaps and being able to develop a character over a long period of time is an actor’s dream. Priya appealed to me because she is really free spirited and there is the potential for quite a nice character arc with her, I think she’s going to grow up on this show. I think people will be quite surprised by her because she’s quite bolshy and everything seems to bounce off her to begin with. She’s a likeable person, a little bit manipulative but she’s very upfront with it and charms her way out of any situation, so people tend to take to her.

What happened when you found out you’d got the part?

I was doing my temp job in a call centre and my agent called to tell me. I just ran down the corridor screaming – it was so amazing! It’s a big show with such a history and such weight to it.

Priya arrives in the village and causes a bit of a stir amongst the villagers, can you tell us about that?

She arrives in the village still wearing her clubbing clothes from the night before. She rocks up in The Woolpack, meets Eli and gets him to buy her some drinks. They bond instantly and there’s a bit of flirtation between them, they get drunk together and he dares her to dance on the bar. Marlon won’t allow her to dance on the bar, so Eli dares her to do it on Ashley’s car. She’s quite reticent initially, but she ends up doing it, much to Ashley’s horror! It’s a good entrance!

What is her relationship like with her brothers? Are they very protective over her?

Their parents aren’t in the picture at the moment so they’re quite a tight little unit, albeit quite dysfunctional. Priya adores her brother Jai, he’s really relaxed and lets her do her own thing. She clashes with Nikhil, as he’s very work orientated driven and punctual, whereas she’s all over the place. Nikhil gets tired of her sponging off them, so there’s some friction between them. On the whole, they do love each other though, there’s just a bit of tension.

Does she have a role in the new business?

Priya starts off being a packer, she’s quite lazy so I think she likes that she’s got a simple role. She likes the social side of working in the factory, there’s lots of banter as she’s working with Gennie, Eli and Lisa and she loves going straight to the pub after work.

What does she make of the other villagers?

She seems to fit in quite well. I think she’s one of those people who would just fit in, she’s quite charming and companionable and she has quite a dry sense of humour.

Priya has a bit of a wild side, do you think the living in Emmerdale will calm her down?

I don’t know, it’s quite a small village but I think she’ll have to calm down a bit. Although, she’s very strong-willed, she’s the kind of person who will do what she wants, she’s not mean-spirited, but she’s very head-strong.

What was your first day on set like?

My first scene was with Joe Gilgun, Charlotte Bellamy and Jane Cox who are just the sweetest people to work with, it was a really nice day. I was very nervous and it was quite intimidating, it felt like my first day at school! Walking into the green room for the first time was intense but everyone was so lovely it quickly became normal. Although having to remember my lines and pack sweets at the same time is quite hard!

Did you know any of the cast before?

One of my best friends is Sian Reese-Williams who plays Gennie and we have loads of scenes together as she’s working in the factory, so it’s just great. Everyone is so friendly.

What past roles might viewers recognise you from?

They might recognise me from Hollyoaks In The City, I played Millie Andrews opposite Philip Olivier. She was the opposite of Priya, she was an uptight school teacher!